


Unexpected

by ToyMouse



Series: The small one - HamLaf 2020 [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Baking, Family, Gen, Hamlaf Week 2020, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26366098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToyMouse/pseuds/ToyMouse
Summary: Lafayette had been planning for his mother and sister to visit. They just decided to visit a bit early.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
Series: The small one - HamLaf 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914598
Kudos: 7





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really no good at angst. I tried. But I really like soft Alex...
> 
> Also, I feel like this moves too fast, and the POV changes pretty frequently. Unfortunately, if I really wanted to dedicate time to fleshing this out, I'd never get to the other prompts! 
> 
> Anywho! Please enjoy my next submission for HamLaf Week 2020

“What do you mean you’ll be here soon? You guys aren’t supposed to be here for two weeks!”

“Gilbert, on arrive à l’aéroport. Soyez heureux que j’ai appelé du tout! Maman aurait beaucoup préféré se montrer comme une surprise.” Lafayette groaned loudly.

“Have a pleasant flight Adrienne, I’ll see you soon.” The call ended and Laf sighed heavily. Taking stock of his surroundings, Lafayette was close to considering it a lost cause.

“Alexander? Can you come here for a moment.” Alexander, the fruit bat shifter, now lived with him. Had been living with him since Halloween. Usually, he kept a tidy house, but with work picking up for the holiday rush, and his new houseguest, keeping his home clean was not at the top of his priorities. It seemed as if every room in the house needed a deep cleaning. He would need help.

“Laf? You called? Who were you talking to? Sounded like a female.” The shifter appeared from the hall leading to the bedrooms, his hair disheveled and naked. Lafayette struggled to explain why clothing was important to the creature and regularly had to remind him to keep something on. He let out another heavy sigh.

“Alexander, ma petite chauve-souris, please-clothing.” He took the cashmere cardigan he was wearing off and tossed it at the much smaller person. Alex frowned and reluctantly pulled the sweater over his head. It draped down to mid-thigh and hung off a shoulder. Lafayette stared for a moment longer than necessary before clearing his throat.

“Ma mere et ma sœur are coming to visit earlier than expected. They will be here in less than ten hours, and I need your help to tidy this place up.” Alexander stared blankly at his housemate. He tilted his head in confusion.

“Tidy? What does that mean?” Sometimes, the Frenchman forgot how little Alexander knew of the human world. After the first day of gorging himself on fruit usually unavailable to him, Alexander discovered Laf’s bookshelf, and demanded Lafayette teach him to read. Once he learned how to read, he learned to write. Since then, Lafayette would find him writing away at his little desk: notes about a novel he’s read, comments on some news report or new policy, poems, and couplets. Alexander was an insatiable student.

“Tidy: to make clean and orderly.” The bat hybrid grimaced. Lafayette chuckled at the expression, “Don’t worry, we’ll do it together.”

* * *

Two hours later, Laf and Alex had organized the common areas: the kitchen, living room, guest bathroom, and dining room. Lafayette provided Alex with manageable tasks and with conclusive ends. ‘gather the dishes into the kitchen’ for example, or ‘put the clothing into the hamper.’ Lafayette took care of the scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, moping, wiping, and so on.

All that was left was to clear Alexander’s things from the guest bedroom to make space for Adrienne and their mother.

“No. I need these things. How can I learn if you take them away?” Devastation seeped from Alexander like stale perfume. “Do you want me to leave?” Lafayette froze, hearing the soft, vulnerable quality in the other’s voice.

“Alexander. Alex, no.” Laf reached for Alexander’s chin, tilting his head to look him in the eyes. “I invited you to stay. I offered for you to live here. I will not make you leave.”

“But, my things. Why are you removing my things?”

“It is only temporary. You can put everything back once my family has left.”

“Should,” Alexander paused, pulling his eyes away from the rich, molten gaze of his companion. “Should I go too?”

“Why should you go?”

“You said you need my room for your family. You need me to go away.” Lafayette understood the problem now.

“Ma petite, you are not going anywhere. I will move your desk into my room, with your papers and books and such. You will share my room while they are here.” Tears leaked from Alexander’s eyes, and Lafayette panicked. “Ma petite? What is wrong? Please don’t cry. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. You are not a pet and you are not caged. You are my friend.”

Still crying, Alexander raised himself on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around the taller man. Lafayette followed suit and circled Alex’s waist with his arms, bending slightly to rest his nose against Alex’s hair.

“Je suis désolée, Alex. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t want you here. You belong here, just as much as I do.” Alexander responded only by tightening his grip, tears soaking the shoulder of Laf’s shirt.

* * *

“Maman! I missed you!”

“My bébé!” The elegant woman took a moment to set her manners aside and clutched her son, laying kisses all over his face. She released him and held him at arm’s length, just drinking in the sight of him.

“Hi Mom.” He smiled at her.

“Hello, my love.” She released him, and he turned to his sister, pulling her into an equally tight embrace.

“I missed you, Adrienne.” At one point, before they brought Adrienne into their home, the two were betrothed. That was an embarrassing and awkward time for the both of them. Adrienne jokingly referred to the period as their ‘Awakening.’ Now, they truly embodied siblings. Better still, they were chosen siblings.

“Hi Gil.” She whispered into his shoulder.

“Come! Enough standing around. I’m sure you are both tired. Let me get you home.” Lafayette led his mother and sister to his car and carefully packed their luggage into the trunk. The two ladies would stay for two weeks, though they brought enough to cover them for four.

* * *

After the emotional upheaval, Lafayette carried the exhausted bat to the master bedroom, gently laying Alex down and tucking the blanket in around him. Laf carefully brushed a loose strand of hair away from the closed eyes, admiring the calmness in the normally emotive face. Alex snuffled a bit and pressed his face into the hand. Lafayette pulled away as if burned. The other whined at the loss and curled in an effort to find the contact again.

Lafayette stood and quietly collected up any dirty items from his room, and left, closing the door behind him. He checked the time, noting he had five hours left before he needed to collect his mother and sister.

Cleaning was never his forte or something he enjoyed doing, but his mother was a stickler for a tidy home. If he didn’t have this place spic and span, she would not complain, she would clean it herself. He could not allow that to happen, so he scrubbed and scoured every surface he could.

He desperately tried to focus on thinking up things to do with his mother and sister, but his thoughts kept sliding back to a certain boy. Would his mother like Alexander? Would Adrienne? Alexander had a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself. Would he offend Laf’s mother? Would Adrienne and their Maman judge him for sharing his home with a stranger? Perhaps, Lafayette thought, it would be better to have Alex stay with Hercules. He discarded the thought the instant it appeared. Laf could not and would not send him away, especially not after the panic that Alex experienced at the mere thought of it.

* * *

“I have to warn you both, I have a roommate. We’ve moved his things out of the guest room for you, so no worries there. I just don’t want you to be surprised if you see another man in the house.” Adrienne gasped, delighted.

“A boyfriend, Gilbert? You never told me! Do Hercules and John know?” Hercules and John, in fact, did not know, and for now he wanted to keep it that way. Whenever his friends came to visit, Alex either hid in his room or hid as a bat. John and Hercules had a field day when they found out the bat from Halloween stuck around.

“Non, Adrienne. He is not a boyfriend. He is a friend and my roommate. John and Herc do not know that I have a roommate. Alexander is not typically available when my friends are over.”

“His name’s Alexander? How elegant and poised, huh, Maman?” The older woman hummed, smiling, pleased to see her children interacting. Some things never change. “So not a boyfriend, Gil, but you want him to be.” It was not a question.

* * *

When Alex first began living with him, he could already switch between his bat form and his human form. His humanoid form, however, had large pointed ears and claws, betraying his inhuman nature. Now, Alex could seamlessly shift between the two without sacrificing his abilities.

Lafayette was proud of him and had intended to introduce him to John and Herc this weekend. At least, he had, until Adrienne called. Now, the plan was to remind him to be polite, and keep his clothes on, and try not to debate anything with anyone. For someone just beginning to learn about politics, he had a lot of opinions.

Finished with his cleaning, he checked the time once more before changing into clean clothes, and pressing his feet into his loafers (Oxfords, not Brogues). He lightly shook Alexander’s shoulder and informed him of his plans. Alex groaned in response and rolled slightly. Smiling fondly, Laf lightly kissed Alex atop his head before retreating. What on Earth was getting into him?

* * *

“Welcome! Please come in.” The man unlocked the door and pushed it open. He stepped aside for the two women to walk in, following behind them with their luggage. “Down the hall, to the left. That’s the guest room. Adrienne, if you don’t want to share with Maman, I have a futon around here somewhere.” Lafayette walked them to the room and set their baggage inside. “I’ll go wake Alex. Please take your time.”

Lafayette traipsed down the hall, leaving the two women to their devices. He was happy to have them here, even if the timeline stressed him out.

He pushed the door to his bedroom open, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Alexander?” he murmured. “Alexander, ma petite, it’s time to wake up.” Lafayette strode over to the bed and gently shook the sleeping boy. He grimaced and groaned, leaving his world of dreams behind.

Alex blinked blearily, taking in the fuzzy form of the man waking him, “Laffie? ‘s at you?”

“Yes, darling. Come. Time to get up.” Lafayette heaved the half-asleep man out of the bed and blushed heavily when he realized Alex was still only dressed in the borrowed sweater. “And get dressed. I’ll pull you some clothes.”

Lafayette handed the drowsy Alex a pile of clothes, before beginning to brush out the nest atop his head. Alex was always so sweet and compliant after a nap, but his hair was the exact opposite.

Once Lafayette deemed him appropriate and presentable, the two walked down the hall for introductions.

* * *

One week into the trip found Alex and Adrienne as the best of friends. The two would spend hours discussing and arguing, and it was lucky neither of them knew their way around the city. Lafayette was surprised with their quick camaraderie. Alexander was still skittish when the doorbell rang; Adrienne never did well with new people. It was truly a blessing and a miracle they got along. A miracle until they commandeered the kitchen.

The two of them had been watching a baking show on television. His sister asked Alexander what his favorite cookie was. Alexander responded by informing them he had never had a cookie and therefore he couldn’t properly answer the question. Adrienne, affronted by the perceived slight to humanity, insisted that a baking day was necessary.

She pulled three cookie recipes: chocolate chip, lace, and oatmeal raisin, and so the baking began.

Within an hour the kitchen was a disaster, and Lafayette had two very pleased children on his hands.

“I sincerely hope the two of you will clean every nook and cranny of this kitchen before you even think of having a cookie. You will not be leaving this mess.”

“Ahh, Gil, really? Come on, I’m a guest!”

“A guest who made a mess. Take responsibility.” The girl stuck her tongue out. Lafayette pinched it between his fingers, giving her a look.

“Excuse me? Would you like me to bring Maman into the equation?” Adrienne harrumphed and folded her arms across her chest, turning away from her brother. Lafayette chanced a glance at Alexander. He immediately regretted the action.

Alexander had his hair pulled into a messy bun at the top of his head, and cute pink clips at his temple kept any loose strands back. A light dusting of flour covered his entire body, though it seemed to be more pronounced on his forehead, where Alex must have brushed with his hand as they were baking. In his hands, he held the mixing bowl they used for the chocolate chip cookies; the spoon tucked into his mouth. His eyes were enormous and dewy, as if he were about to cry. Belatedly, Lafayette realized this was a ‘puppy-dog eye’ routine.

“Will you help us please, Laffie?” Dear Lord, his voice was quivering. What had Adrienne created? “We’ll never be able to get it as clean as you can. I’m not as good at tidy-ing as you.” Lafayette noticed the sly smile on his sister’s face in her reflection. Brat.

“Laffie?” Alex repeated his name.

“I’ll help you Lexi, do not worry.”

* * *

“He likes you.”

“What?”

“Alexander. He likes you. Like, like-likes you. A lot.”

“He doesn’t. He has some family issues and craves validation. I provide him a safe space.”

“Sure, fine, whatever you say Gil. But, for whatever it’s worth, I like him. Maman likes him too. Says he makes you soft.”

“Adrienne, please be quiet. You’re making things weird.”

“She is not, Gilbert, darling. She is telling you the truth. Alexander’s presence has helped you unload the world’s weight. He is good for you and while I don’t know him well, I can tell that you are good for him.”

“Maman, I haven’t known him long enough to make any such deliberations.”

“Things like this don’t need time, mon fils. Sometimes, you just know. Don’t think too hard. Your heart has already accepted him.”

“He belongs with you, Gil. Pay attention to him the next time you walk into a room. You’ll see.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I realize Adrienne is definitely not Laf's sister, but I figured for the sake of fiction it would be okay! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! 
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr @ToyMouse


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